The present invention relates to manually released safety locking devices for pistols and, more specifically, to manually operated locking devices incorporated in certain, otherwise conventional semi-automatic or automatic pistols to prevent firing movement of the trigger until the user disables the safety lock.
The prior art includes many examples of safety devices, both automatically and manually operated, to prevent or reduce the likelihood of inadvertent discharge of a chambered round. Such safety devices have been incorporated in commercially available handguns, including the class of pistols described as linear striker fired semi-automatic or automatic pistols. One such firearm, having both manually operated and automatic safety systems, is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,209 of Dunn wherein, when the manual safety is in the safe position, the striker is blocked and the trigger bar is disengaged from the sear and the dislocator. However, some pistols of this type, notably those manufactured by Glock GmbH of Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, are structurally dissimilar to that shown in the Dunn patent (e.g., they do not include a sear) and thus not suitable for incorporation of such a manual safety.
The present invention is designed for incorporation in pistols, such as GLOCK type pistols, the principal object of the invention being to provide an effective lock for the entire fire control system which requires manual release by the user independently of trigger pull. Other objects are to provide, in a linear striker fired pistol, a manual safety device which: 1. operates independently of existing automatic safety devices, 2. prevents the firing pin from moving rearward or forward, 3. immobilizes the trigger bar, 4. provides additional leverage to reduce felt recoil, and 5. serves as an indicator that the user may have neglected to chamber a round of ammunition. Other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the following detailed disclosure.
For convenience, the invention will be shown and described in connection with a conventional pistol known as a GLOCK pistol 17 from which other GLOCK pistol models differ only slightly in constructional details. Aside from the standard, unmodified parts of this pistol, the present invention incorporates a modified trigger mechanism housing and additional elements mounted thereon to provide the manual safety device. It is important to note that the elements providing the manual safety feature are mounted on the trigger mechanism housing and not on the frame of the pistol. The trigger mechanism housing is modified for mounting thereon of a manually movable lever having on one end a flat tab which is positioned near the handle to serve as a thumb rest for the operator during firing, with thumb pressure on the tab rotating the member about its pivotal connection at the other end to the trigger mechanism housing. The pistol frame is modified by adding a slot for passage of an intermediate portion between the thumb rest and the pivotal mounting ends of the manually movable lever. Other elements added by the present invention are a trigger bar guide, a pressure plate having a pair of detent openings, and a disc spring.
When the pistol is held in the usual manner preparatory to firing, with the index finger on the trigger and the other three fingers grasping the handle, the thumb is placed on the tab extending laterally outwardly from the left side at the top of the handle. Downward pressure applied by the thumb causes the member to rotate through a predetermined angle, thereby moving the safety lever out of blocking relation with respect to the trigger bar guide which is mounted for reciprocal, sliding movement on the trigger mechanism housing. A portion of the trigger bar engages the trigger bar guide, preventing rearward movement of the bar until the safety lever unblocks movement of the guide. Manual movement of the safety lever allows rearward movement of the trigger bar guide, permitting the trigger to be pulled and the pistol to be fired. Cooperable detent means on the safety lever and pressure plate define the xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d positions of the manual safety. The structure, interconnection and operation of the parts concerned with the present invention will be more readily understood and fully appreciated from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.